TEXAS — According to the results of a new poll published by Lyceum, Democratic candidate for Texas governor Beto O’Rourke is gaining ground on incumbent Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, and the November election looks like it will be competitive.

What You Need To Know

  • A new Lyceum poll shows Texas Gov. Greg Abbott just two points ahead of Democratic challenger Beto O’Rouke. Eighteen percent of those polled said they haven’t made their minds up

  • This is the closest the candidates, both of whom easily won their respective primaries, have polled

  • The poll also asked about the job performance of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Attorney General Ken Paxton. Respondents additionally identified border security as the most important issue in Texas 

  • The poll included 926 registered voters and has an overall margin of error of +/- 2.83 percentage points

The poll asked registered voters who they would vote for if the election were held today. Forty-two percent of respondents indicated Abbott, and 40% selected O’Rourke. There are still a lot of votes to fight for. Eighteen percent of those polled indicated they haven’t made their minds up yet.

Both candidates sailed through their respective primary races. O’Rourke has been concentrating on galvanizing younger voters recently. Abbott continues to tout Texas’ strong economy and business-friendly climate.

The poll sheds light on the standing of some of the state’s other prominent candidates as well.

When asked about the job performance of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is dogged by legal issues, 13% of respondents indicated they strongly approve of it, 27% said they somewhat approve, 14% indicated they somewhat disapprove and 20% said they strongly disapprove. Twenty-five percent indicated they don’t know or were unwilling to answer.

It’s much the same for Republican Texas Gov. Dan Patrick. Thirteen percent of respondents indicated they strongly approve of the job he’s doing, 27% somewhat approve, 15% somewhat disapprove and 20% strongly disapprove. Twenty-five percent declined to answer.

When asked about the most important issues facing Texas, the top answer was border security followed by inflation/rising prices, political corruption/leadership and energy/gas prices.

The poll included 926 registered voters and has an overall margin of error of +/- 2.83 percentage points. The poll was conducted March 11-20.